White stepped out of the plane onto the dock and stuck his hand out toward me. I almost took it for help down to the dock, but at the last second I handed him his bag. I picked mine up and turned back to find White’s hand had returned so I handed him my bag as well. He quickly tossed it aside and offered his hand once more. I graciously took it and stepped from the plane.
Sam took both of our bags and walked away from the waters edge. He turned back to us just long enough to say, “I’ll take your bags to your barracks, sir.”
White thanked him and said to me, “Come on, I’ll show you around.” He led me away from the water and toward the many buildings several yards away. After choosing this compound I had studied the satellite pictures thoroughly and thought I would know the place well when I got here, but that was not the case. Looking down from the sky and actually walking between the buildings are two different things. The compound was much larger than I expected, considering there were only thirty-two people stationed here.
The first building we came to was the compound Headquarters. White explained that the building held it’s very own C.I.C. and library and, of course, it was the most important building on the entire compound. We didn’t go in, but moved off to the southeast to a building about a third of the size of Headquarters.
“This is the Iceberg Lounge,” White said as we stepped inside.
“Straight to the bar?” I gave him a disapproving look, although a quick shot of something was tempting. Just to get warmed up. However, I told myself, that doesn’t really warm you up. I know, but my nerves are frazzled, I continued to talk to myself internally. I decided to wait to see what White was up to.
“This is Joe,” White introduced me to the bartender. He was an Alaskan Indian in his late 50’s. I reached out and shook his hand. White introduced me as Commander Grey.
“Nice to meet you Commander. Are you going to be staying with us long?”
“Just a few days.”
“Inspection time again.” White made a little more small talk with Joe and then ordered two cups of coffee. Then he led me to a table in the corner.
“I thought a cup of coffee after that long flight would do us both some good.”
I agreed with him and then he continued to explain the compound further. It consisted of two huge hangers, which I could easily see from anywhere on the compound. Hanger A was the aircraft hanger and Hanger B was reserved for the motor pool. The entire compound was self sufficient, producing it’s own electricity and hiring local people to run the bar, store and various other tasks, such as general housekeeping. The thing that surprised me the most about the compound was the amount of people it could house comfortably. There were four regular barracks that could house forty men each. Then the Officer’s Barracks had ten rooms available. That’s where we would be staying.
My office would be in the building right next to my living quarters and that building also housed the mess hall; which also doubled for a rec. hall when not in use for meals.
White went on to explain to me the men that had spent a good deal of time here could be quite rough around the edges, but I absolutely could not let them get the best of me. He continued to lecture me about management for the better part of fifteen minutes. Then he switched the subject over to the local people who helped run the compound. He warned me against offending them.
“The smooth operation of our facilities depends mainly on our local help.”
“Understood. However, I have no intentions of offending anyone.”
“Our cadets go through an orientation with every compound they visit, so consider this your orientation.” Men started to trickle in slowly as we talked and each of them greeted White with “Commander” and me with a variety of looks from stunned to intrigued. We talked for another half an hour and several cups of coffee. Finally we said good-bye to Joe and made our way to the Officer’s Barracks. I noticed at least a 30° temperature difference as we stepped from the Iceberg and then again when we walked into the barracks. It took a little while for me to warm back up.
While I tried to control my shivering, White showed me around the Officer’s Barracks. It was a two-story building with a front lobby and a guard on each floor. My room, on the second floor, was right next to White’s and looked like a suite in a fancy hotel. It contained a sitting room with a television, a bedroom, a little kitchenette with a table that seated four and a bathroom. There was one window in the sitting room that was curtained with dark, heavy drapes. White left me to unpack and said he’d be back in an hour to collect me for dinner.
I still hadn’t warmed up so I took a hot shower. It helped warm me up immediately and was welcome refreshment after our long trip. I pulled my hair back into a braid, set up my laptop on the small desk near the television and killed time while I waited for White.
He arrived in an hour, as promised, and we walked the short distance to the mess hall. There were only five tables set up in the large area and the men seated at them were all visiting quietly until they noticed White and me. Then they stood and saluted White who saluted back. None of them had food in front of them yet, but they sat back down and resumed talking in subdued tones. We continued walking past them toward a hallway in the back of the mess hall. White pointed out all the rooms and their functions. First was the mess hall/rec hall we had already passed through and as we entered the hallway White pointed out the kitchen doorway. Inside were three women doing various things to prepare the dinner. One of the younger ladies looked up and saw White. She stood up straight and gazed at him with obvious awe, until she saw me, then she adverted her eyes quickly and went back to her duties. I looked at White questioningly and he avoided the look. This made me wonder about his relationship with this girl. Was there a relationship there, or had there been?
As we continued our walk down the hallway White pointed out two offices on our right and two classrooms on the left. “I’m not sure which one we are going to put you in yet. I need to talk to Johns and ask him which one isn’t being utilized.”
“Johns?” I hadn’t met a Johns yet.
“He’s the commanding officer of this compound. We’ll sit with him at dinner tonight and discuss it.” White finished showing me around the building and we made our way back to the mess hall where we got in line for our dinner. After our cafeteria plates were full we took a seat at a table that contained only two other men. Sam was one of them and the other was Johns, the man in charge of the place.
I was introduced and we got right down to business. I was to have the office closest to the mess hall. White said he’d set me up with a password so I could access the computer. Then the talk of business ended and the conversation became more relaxed.
Johns was enthralled with the fact I had no military training and asked me all kinds of questions about it. I told him I trained under Master Chief Slade and he was surprised at that as well. The questioning continued until White started answering for me. This irritated me somewhat but I was too tired to argue. Soon after White took to answering Johns’ questions I glanced at my watch. It was after 10 o’clock. I had been stifling a yawn for some time now so I took my leave.
I rose from the table and so did the three men. I smiled my appreciation at them. It was nice to be acknowledged as a woman from time to time. I noticed a few men scattered around at different tables as I walked toward the door. I don’t know why, but when I reached the door I turned around and looked back into the room. All eyes were on me and some of the men had joined White, Johns and Sam at our table. Immediately a nervous feeling started boiling in my stomach. I quickly turned around and stepped outside. It was full daylight and it startled me. I checked my watch again and as I did this my brain reminded me where I was and I got a flash of the heavy drapes in my room.
I made my way back to my room and immediately got into bed. It had been a long day and I knew tomorrow would be hectic as well. I was tired but couldn’t make my mind slow down long enough to fall asleep. I knew I was the talk of the place. Fi
rst and foremost, I was a woman in a place with not much diversity in that subject. Not that there was anything wrong with the women already on the compound. Secondly, I outranked everyone here, except White. Even the CO of the compound, Johns, had to answer to me if I demanded it. Then to top it all off, the thought of White stealing a glance at my backside had me in knots. I knew I’d like to be involved with him, at least in my fantasy world. The real world was a lot more complicated though and I still wasn’t quite ready for it. Black saved me once from having to make a decision I wasn’t ready for. I only hoped he’d be around this time.
Despite my overactive thoughts I fell asleep and awoke with a start. I was confused for a split second until I remembered where I was. My stomach did a flip and I got myself out of bed and started my morning routine. I had barely dried off from my shower when White showed up at my door.
“Do you have coffee made?” He lifted a coffee cup for me to see.
“Yes,” I let him in. He walked right to the kitchenette area and poured himself a cup.
“You’re coffee is better than Joe’s. Plus, he won’t be open today and neither is the kitchen.” He took a seat in one of the chairs at the table. I refreshed my own cup and sat across from him.
He sipped his coffee for a few minutes then said, “I’ve got some things to do so we won’t see much of each other today. If you need anything you can ask Cadet Sullivan at Headquarters.” We sat quietly after that until White finished his coffee. Then he got up, filled his cup again, said thanks and left me alone. I allowed myself one more cup of coffee before I took a run around the compound.
I walked out of the Officers barracks’ east entrance and got a beautiful view of the lake. It was bitingly cold and I knew I would have to fight against shivering until I got my blood pumping through my veins. Black had reminded me of how much I actually enjoyed my morning workouts, in whatever form they came. I took the opportunity to try to become more familiar with the compound from the ground.
The path I took led me along the edge of the lake. When we’d been in the air it looked as if it were a gash in the earth with no bottom. From this vantage point the water was pristine and I could clearly follow the rocky bottom until it dropped off sharply. At that point, the water changed from clear to an inky black. I ran past the dock where the plane we arrived in was moored and then on past the boathouse all the way to the utility building where the road ended in a cul-de-sac. I longed to keep following the lake but doubled back to the boathouse and turned to the west. I soon found my way to the Iceberg Lounge. I glanced at my watch and more time had passed than I had expected so I turned to go back to my room.
When I walked inside I realized I hadn’t seen anyone else out and about. The compound was quiet. I found this unusual for a training compound. I pictured a place where the men would be forced out of bed at the crack of dawn by a yelling drill instructor. White had told me they stuck pretty close to military standards but I didn’t see that here.
I took another shower and reminded myself if I planned on running in the mornings, I might as well wait to shower until after I got back. Not only because I didn’t need two showers every morning but also because my wet hair was almost frozen from my outing.
This time I left the building by the west entrance and crossed the street to the mess hall. I expected to see men seated at their tables, eating breakfast, but the building was empty. Even the kitchen was uninhabited. Then I remembered White saying the kitchen wouldn’t be open today. Must be because it’s Sunday.
I opened my laptop and connected to the network using White’s password for C.I.C. in his apartment. I was a little surprised he used the same password. I had already read about the men stationed here but realized I didn’t bring hard copies of their records. Instead, I went in search of a printer and found one at Headquarters. Cadet Sullivan pointed me in the right direction without a word. When I returned to my room I double-checked everything. All was in order and I had time to kill. I was hungry and starting to feel sorry for myself so I decided to take a walk to the store. Maybe everything didn’t close on Sunday.
It was still quiet and I began to wonder where everyone was. The store was across the street to the south of my barracks so I didn’t have far to go. I stepped up the three stairs to the door and it was locked. I headed back to my room to pout but decided against it. I was going to do some more wandering.
In less than an hour I had been to every building on the compound, minus the men’s barracks. There wasn’t a soul to be found except the one cadet in Headquarters. I dreaded it, but I decided to walk toward the barracks. This quiet was really beginning to bother me. I liked the peace, but quiet in a place like this was too weird. I felt like I was stranded in a ghost town. When I reached the barracks I walked a little slower, hoping to hear sounds of life inside, but there were none. I wanted to go to a door and knock but decided against it. I couldn’t think of a good excuse as to why I would be there. I could tell the truth, but then they might think I was a big baby. Nope, I’ll just go back to my room.
I watched TV for a while but kept the volume low so I could hear any noises that might occur outside, or next door. After an hour or so I got up and went to White’s room. I had been putting it off because he told me he had things to do today and I didn’t want to bother him but I couldn’t stand much more of this.
I knocked and received no answer. Strange things began to go through my mind. Was this another test? Did I need to find my way back to civilization or try to survive for so many days out here, all alone? But I’m not all alone, I reminded myself. I hiked to Headquarters and cornered the poor cadet at the desk. I hadn’t really looked at him before but this time I noticed he was close to my age, maybe a year or two older. He wasn’t a bad looking man either. Being stranded up here with a man like this might not be all that bad, I guess. I giggled inwardly for only a second then the reality of being stranded up here hit me.
“Where is everybody?” I asked him, successfully suppressing my anxiety.
“Sunday operations.” He looked at me like I was crazy. Maybe I didn’t suppress my concern as well as I thought.
“Oh, I see. How long will they be gone?”
“Until they get back.” I didn’t like his tone. He was treating me as if I were an idiot.
“Really?” I was irritated. “What time do you expect them back, cadet?” I changed my tone from conversational to commanding.
“Usually around twenty-two hundred hours, Ma’am.” He’d gotten the hint but there was disdain in the word Ma’am.
I wanted to say more, but was flabbergasted by his attitude. I turned to leave and I heard Sullivan mutter something under his breath that sounded a lot like, “Stupid bitch.” I quickly turned around and asked, “Did you have something more to say, cadet?”
“No, Ma’am.” Again, the Ma’am was full of scorn.
I gave him a dirty look and turned to leave again and again he muttered something under his breath but this time I was sure of what I heard and it was horribly offensive. I stopped, turned and said, “This is unacceptable, Sullivan. I don’t care for your attitude and I won’t put up with it. I demand an apology right now.” I pointed my finger at the ground in emphasis. In answer to my demand Sullivan rolled his eyes and shook his head.
“I don’t think you realize what kind of a mistake you are making, cadet,” I said when he wouldn’t comply.
“Is that so? You are here for inspections, big deal. I’m not worried.” He suddenly became distracted by a fingernail on his left hand and refused to look up. I stood in a state of semi-shock for a few seconds then I straightened my spine. Who was this punk? I had the authority to send him packing and I’d make sure he knew that.
“Stand at attention, cadet.” I ordered but he only stuck the fingernail he’d been considering in his mouth and began to gnaw. “I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt and explain something to you. When my explanation is complete you will obey the order or be dismissed from your duties
as soon as Commander White returns.”
This got his attention, but not in the way I wanted. “I knew it. You are his new pet and you think that’ll get me fired. Let me tell you something, sweetie. White loves his company more than any woman and won’t take your side on this.”
“You’d do better to open your ears and shut your mouth, Sullivan. I am the newest partner. I have as much pull as White and he will back me up before he even hears your side of the story. I do have the authority to terminate your employment with this company for no better reason than I’m having a bad day. I suggest you put a stopper in the attitude, stand at attention and apologize.”
“I will not take orders from a snooping, skinny, stupid woman.”
“We shall see,” I replied and walked from the building. All the way back to my barracks I thought of ways I could have decked him. When I got into my room I made myself find things to occupy my time while I waited for White to return. I wanted to tell him about Sullivan, but I didn’t want to admit that he was right about coming here to baby-sit me. I kept going over the scene in my head and finally came to the conclusion that it wasn’t my fault. I had done nothing to deserve the disrespect Sullivan had shown. Even if the tables had been turned and he had been the ranking officer, he still would have been wrong to act the way he did.
I dozed off on the loveseat while I waited and woke to a knock at my door. It was White so I let him in. He told me about his day. All of the men, except Sullivan and White, left the night before and hiked into the wilderness where they had to run some cold weather drills, such as taking their guns apart and putting them back together in the cold. White explained how hard it was to do that with numb fingers. He went into more detail but I didn’t really listen. I was struggling to decide how I should tell him about Sullivan’s attitude. Eventually White noticed I didn’t have much to say besides, “Yeah” and “Uh, huh.”
Reflections of Grey: Book Three of the Alexis Stanton Chronicles Page 7
